Dumitru G. Nanu (October 26, 1873 – February 12, 1943) was a

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...

n poet and translator. Born in

Câmpulung Câmpulung (also spelled ''Cîmpulung'', , german: Langenau, Old Romanian ''Dlăgopole'', ''Длъгополе'' (from Middle Bulgarian)), or ''Câmpulung Muscel'', is a municipality in the Argeș County, Muntenia, Romania. It is situated among t ...

to Gheorghe Nanu and his wife Zoia (''née'' Hristodos), he attended primary school in his native town, followed by

Matei Basarab Matei Basarab (; 1588, Brâncoveni, Olt – 9 April 1654, Bucharest) was a Wallachian Voivode (Prince) between 1632 and 1654. Reign Much of Matei's reign was spent fighting off incursions from Moldavia, which he successfully accomplished in 1637 ...

and Saint Sava high schools in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

. He then graduated from the

Veterinary School Veterinary education is the tertiary education of veterinarians. To become a veterinarian, one must first complete a veterinary degree in Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM , V.M.D. , BVS, BVSc, BVMS, BVM, cand.med.vet). In the United States and ...

. He was a high school French teacher in

Bacău Bacău ( , , ; hu, Bákó; la, Bacovia) is the main city in Bacău County, Romania. At the 2016 national estimation it had a population of 196,883, making it the 12th largest city in Romania. The city is situated in the historical region of ...

and Bârlad, as well as a librarian. He made his literary debut in 1891 in ''Lumea ilustrată''; his first published volume, ''Nocturne'', appeared in 1900. He was a frequent contributor to the literary magazines of his day. At Bârlad, from January to December 1900, he published the '' Sămănătorist'' magazine ''Paloda literară''. In 1932 he was awarded the poetry prize of the

Romanian Writers' Society The Romanian Writers' Society ( ro, Societatea Scriitorilor Români) was a professional association based in Bucharest, Romania, that aided the country's writers and promoted their interests. Founded in 1909, it operated for forty years before the e ...

. He also won the national prize for poetry in 1937; awarded on the recommendation of Nicolae Iorga, this prize came with 100,000 lei. More than his verses, his contemporaries appreciated his discreet, modest and dignified personality. He was a traditionalist poet, strongly influenced by

Mihai Eminescu Mihai Eminescu (; born Mihail Eminovici; 15 January 1850 – 15 June 1889) was a Romanian Romantic poet from Moldavia, novelist, and journalist, generally regarded as the most famous and influential Romanian poet. Eminescu was an active membe ...

(as can be seen both in his debut volume and in the 1934 ''Poezii''). Nanu particularly focused on lyric poems characterized by religious and philosophical meditation. Alone or in collaboration, he translated works by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Pierre Corneille Pierre Corneille (; 6 June 1606 – 1 October 1684) was a French tragedian. He is generally considered one of the three great seventeenth-century French dramatists, along with Molière and Racine. As a young man, he earned the valuable patronag ...

Jean Racine Jean-Baptiste Racine ( , ) (; 22 December 163921 April 1699) was a French dramatist, one of the three great playwrights of 17th-century France, along with Molière and Corneille as well as an important literary figure in the Western traditio ...

Guy de Maupassant Henri René Albert Guy de Maupassant (, ; ; 5 August 1850 – 6 July 1893) was a 19th-century French author, remembered as a master of the short story form, as well as a representative of the Naturalist school, who depicted human lives, destin ...

, Paul Bourget and

Alfred de Musset Alfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay (; 11 December 1810 – 2 May 1857) was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist.His names are often reversed "Louis Charles Alfred de Musset": see "(Louis Charles) Alfred de Musset" (bio), Biography.com, 2007 ...

.Aurel Sasu (ed.), ''Dicționarul biografic al literaturii române'', vol. II, p. 176. Pitești: Editura Paralela 45, 2004. Nanu died in 1943 in

, in the arms of his nephew, the poet

Mihai Moșandrei Mihai () is a Romanian given name for males or a surname. It is equivalent to the English name Michael. A variant of the name is Mihail. Its female form is Mihaela. As a given name *Mihai I of Romania (1921–2017), King of Romania until 1947 *Mih ...

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nanu, D. 1873 births 1943 deaths People from Câmpulung Saint Sava National College alumni Romanian poets Translators of William Shakespeare Romanian translators Romanian schoolteachers Romanian librarians Romanian magazine editors